What Raheem Sterling can teach politicians hoping to be PM - Prudence Wade

This paves the way for a contest to decide who will become the new UK Prime Minister – and, amidst all the political turbulence, there’s no telling who will replace her.

It’s easy in uncertain times to feel disillusioned with the people in power. But instead, with everything up in the air, what better time to step back and reflect on who we would ideally like to run the country?

Sure, some of the people on my dream list are not even British citizens and they might not be exactly obvious choices – but I still feel they would somehow be able to smoothly lead us through Brexit.

These are the (admittedly unlikely) people I’d really like to take charge...

Beyoncé: Few people have a global platform quite like Beyoncé, and she has successfully used it to promote her values of gender and racial equality. Just take her 2013 song Flawless, which features an extract from Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk We Should All be Feminists.

Beyoncé is able to handle tricky political questions too, when needed. For instance, when the video her 2016 song Formation was seen to be a criticism of the police, she clarified her stance in an Elle interview.

“I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe,” she said. “But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”

And let’s face it – Parliament isn’t the most fashionable of places, so Beyoncé would bring some much-needed glamour to political proceedings.

Michelle Obama: Michelle Obama is a no-brainer – who wouldn’t want her to run the country?

She’s incredibly smart, having gone to both Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and she has the necessary political experience from her eight years in the White House.

Even though her husband Barack was president of the United States, Obama was no trophy wife.

She dedicated her time as First Lady to promoting gender equality as well as encouraging physical activity and healthy eating.

Not only is she incredibly qualified for the job, she would be the first black woman to take on the job of UK Prime Minister, which would be a huge step for diversity in the country.

Raheem Sterling: If you really want to inspire the nation’s youth, what better way than a principled young man who also happens to be extremely good at football?

Yes, Raheem Sterling might only be 24 – extremely young in political terms, but it’s not unheard of.

In fact, the youngest Prime Minister the country has seen took office when he was 24 (although admittedly that was William Pitt the Younger and it was in 1783).

Sterling has been in the spotlight since he was a teenager, which means he has grown up remarkably quickly.

Now, he’s a mature figure who has come out as a key voice in the campaign against racism in football.

Despite being subjected to racist abuse on and off the field – most recently in April at the England match against Montenegro – he continues to play incredible football.

He’s also a beacon for what is possible in this country – in fact, in his essay It Was All a Dream for The Players’ Tribune, Sterling writes: “England is still a place where a naughty boy who comes from nothing can live his dream.”

Chrissy Teigen: Politics can be a serious business, so Chrissy Teigen would provide some much-needed levity. She originally made her name as a model, but now she is probably best known for her hilarious posts on social media.

Her posts are brutally honest and span everything from her “mom bod” to what she thinks about the state of US politics. Unafraid to get into an argument or two on Twitter, she always brings humour to it.

Imagine Teigen on Prime Minster’s Questions – she’d artfully put down anyone who opposed her, and it would definitely be a much funnier watch than normal. Public trust in politicians isn’t exactly at an all-time high, so it would be refreshing to see someone like Teigen being completely, utterly herself.

Prudence Wade is a reporter at the Press Association. Chris Moncrieff is away.